I Confront Thee
by misswhiteblack
Summary: Finally she is able to confront what has caused her pain. R&R. DH SPOILERS!


The air was chilling. It felt like it was freezing the very blood running through her veins. Her footsteps were slow. Painstakingly slow. There was a slight scuff but not much. The air was tense and she knew she didn't have much time. It was strange that they would even let her in here to such a maximum security section but they had. Maybe they weren't as stupid as Fudge had been or even Crouch. For the two of them had always underestimated her power. Yet they had always mistaken her alligence. She had told them from the start. Her alligence was to her family and to nothing else. Her breath was uneven and she knew it. Her fingers curled round her cloak and as she breathed out a puff of breath lingered on the air. She shuddered involuntarily as she passed the first cell. The occupant was sitting in the corner eyes as dark as night long black hair drapped over his face muttering incessantly. It turned you insane, she remembered her father's words. She had been so young at the time now he was gone. They were all gone. She kept moving. Her hands felt numb from the icy air and her heart thudded hard against her chest. She felt so nervous but yet this is something she had to do. She swallowed slightly and kept moving. The cells were increasingly closer together and suddenly she began to recognise certain people. Augustus Rookwood was sitting hunched over on his head. He wasn't muttering. He was just sitting there staring at the ground. She kept moving not wanting to linger for someone to recognise her. Not yet anyway. She reached up to pull the hood a little further forward to cover her face more. She turned the corner and brushed to close to one of the cells. Suddenly she felt an arm upon her like an iron grip. She turned to face the person who had gripped her. The long blond hair and cool blue eyes were unmistakable. His robes were filthy and he looked as mess which was unusual but still the face of Luicuis Malfoy looked surprised upon recognition of the person in front of him.

'You,' was the only word to pass from his mouth before she wrenched her arm away. She nodded slightly but it was not him she had come to see. It was to him she had made this trip to confront. His eyes watched her as she moved away from the cell. Slowly she walked down further still recognising several faces of Death Eaters that had been confronted and found out. Rodolphus Lestrange and his brother Rabastan were still obvious to her although they had changed dramatically over the years. She moved quickly past their cells hoping to avoid anymore recognition. She had not wanted to see these faces. It had only been a week since the final battle. She had finally come for the confrontation that she needed to have. As she came to the final cell on the row she stopped and faced it happy that the shadows hid her face for now.

In the small cell on the thin raggy bed sat a woman. She wore black robes probably the ones she had wearing during the final battle. Her black hair was a mess and she sat with her chin on her hands muttering to herself. Through the tiny cell window the lighting flashed. The woman suddenly seemed to realise someone was standing outside her cell.

'Bellatrix Lestrange,' she said in a soft voice through the cell bars.

Bellatrix sat up straight and turned to face the cell bars. Her dark eyes glinted and she stood up moving towards the bars. The sleeve of her robes fell back as she lifted her hands to rest them on the bars revealing the dark mark upon her pale skin. A slight smile appeared on her face as she lent against the bars of her cell.

'A visitor,' she said. The woman opposite her shuddered at the sound of her voice and Bellatrix laughed. 'I didn't know they let anyone in this part of Azkaban.'

'They don't normally,' she replied her voice calmer than she felt and cold. 'They made an exception for me though.'

In one swift step she moved into the light beside the cell bars and look straight into the dark eyes of Bellatrix whose eyes widen in shock at the face in front of her. She raised a hand to pull down the hood that shadowed most of her face. The long brown curls were revealed as the startling green eyes pierced through the darkness to look directly into Bellatrix's own dark ones.

'You.'

Bellatrix laughed seemingly getting over her shock and the other woman shuddered again at the sound of hearing it. Even all the way through school she had never thought that her laugh would ever affect her the way it was now. She didn't want to show any weakness and she supposed that it why she had come to face her.

'Serena Rosa White,' laughed Bellatrix. 'What a delight to have you here.'

'Black,' she replied coldly her eyes piercing Bellatrix. 'Serena Rosa White Black if you remember.'

Bellatrix spat at the ground by Serena's foot.

'Black, never!' she growled angrily. 'You were never worthy of the name just like my darling cousin was never worthy of it.'

'The name was never worthy of either of us actually.'

The two women surveyed each other in hate and disgust. They had known each other many years now and never once had they ever gotten along. Their hatred of each other had been shown so many times at school and during the first battle. Connected by marriage but never family. Neither of them would ever give into the other.

'So what brings you here?' asked Bellatrix coldly. 'Let me guess the death of my dear cousin. It has been two years my dear girl. Have you not learned to cope yet?'

Serena's face twisted in anger. She never got angry. It always took so much to make her angry but Bellatrix knew exactly what buttons to push. She always had and right now she was pushing at the button that got Serena the angriest she would ever be. Serena had always hated that. She knew how to do it in school and she still hadn't kicked the habit.

'Unfortunately,' her voice came in a hiss, 'I had been unable to confront you before now. Still I am here now.'

'Useless you were. The both of you and that bloody brat that you had. Was it a boy or a girl? I can never remember which not that I would want to. Blood traitors the lot of you. Never cared about the pureblood that ran through your veins.'

'Pureblood is only important to those like you Bellatrix who feel that you in some way have a greater importance than everyone else in the world just because you are a pureblood witch. I am a pureblood witch like yourself and I never felt that I was ever above anyone wether muggle, half-blood or muggleborn. Now look at you. You are living in Azkaban because you feel you are so much more important than others. You certainly don't look very important to me.'

'I,' growled Bellatrix pressing her face angrily against the bars, 'am descentant of the Black line. I am pureblood and the Dark Lord's most loyal subject.'

'Scum,' said Serena in a whisper. 'He is dead and he isn't coming back this time. You will rot and die in here. I am only here to see you because I had to let myself know that I have proper justice for what you did to me and my family.'

'You're family are nothing,' Bellatrix spat back. 'Did it hurt when you were told that Sirius was dead and that I, myself, killed me? It felt so good as well. So good to watch him fall through that veil and to hear baby Potter scream and cry. He tried to kill me but he was no match for the Dark Lord. Still the pride I felt in killing my darling cousin. Did you cry White? Did you curse me name? Aw you poor baby.'

Serena's hand was like a snake, striking through the bars of the cell and seizing Bellatrix by the throat. Her eyes sparked with anger and Bellatrix's glinted in delight at the rise she was getting from her. She squeezed slightly and Bellatrix tried to shake her off but was unsuccessful. She took her hands off the bars and seized Serena's arm. Yet to no avail.

'Yes I cried and yes it hurt because I loved him just like he loved me. You will never know what that feels like. Yes I grieve and yes I miss him but I will deal with that but remember this Bellatrix. I want you to know this and to live with it for the rest of your miserable life. Your line, the Black line, the line that believed that pureblood is the way it is meant to be has died out. Your line lives on in my daughter who will never believe that her blood makes her more important than others. It lives on in your sister Andromeda and her grandson Teddy who will never believe in you ideals either …'

'There is still Narcissa, still Draco,' hissed Bellatrix.

'Narcissa,' scoffed Serena, 'she was never truly a supporter of the Dark Lord. Even at the final battle she knew Harry still lived and yet she lied about it. All Narcissa ever cared about was Draco. As for Draco he knows the pureblood ideals are dead. His children will never follow in your footsteps. I want you to live with that.'

Serena suddenly let her go quickly withdrawing her arm. Bellatrix fell to the floor and looked up with horror in her eyes. Serena pulled the hood back up to cover her face.

'Remember your ideals and your family's ideals are dead and they started dying as soon as Andromeda and Sirius turned. You will never know what it is like to be free again if you were ever truly free in the first place. You will never know what it is to love and sure you scoff at it but love is the reason you are on the other side of the bars. I want you to rot here. I didn't come here expecting an apology I hope you choke and die.'

With that Serena turned on her foot and walked away quickly. She walked back past the cells. The prisoners that she had known during her school days had pressed their faces against the bars to get a look at her. She went past with amazing speed. When she had finally left the island, when she had finally got back through her front door she burst into tears.

'God Sirius I miss you.'


End file.
